What's Scotts Valley like? (Oakland, Bakersfield: house, movie theater, school district)

[UrbanCountryGirl]

My husband and I are considering moving from Oakland (Montclair district) and can only seem to get excited about living on the Mountain somewhere between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley. With 1M being our house budget, probably closer to Scotts Valley is more likely because we'd also like some land (1 to 3 acres).
He commutes to Milpitas.

What we're used to right now is the quaint Montclair district in Oakland...it's really sweet. We LOVE it. I worry we'll never find that anywhere else but we must move for a variety of reasons, failing public school system the biggest reason.

So, please tell me about your experience with Scotts Valley -- does it have any charm? We visited and seems like a very spread out town and didn't see a "cute town center". Does one exist? Are people friendly? What's the vibe there for stay-at-home moms? Does there seem to be many? Do people generally stick around on the weekends or head out of town? Yelp shows some pretty decent reviews for restaurants, so that's good (plus Los Gatos is relatively close as is Santa Cruz). Also, what about kids activities like gymnastics, dance, sports, movie theater, pony club or 4 H, etc.

Any other info is greatly appreciated! We're looking at a move in the next 12 to 18 months, before our daughter starts kindergarten in 2012.

[sonarrat]

It's not like Montclair at all; it's much more rural in feel. Drive down the main strip on Scotts Valley Dr, and you'll see bait & tackle, feed shops, RV and trailer parks, and so on. Might be a bit of culture shock for you.

To be more like Montclair, I'd focus on areas like Saratoga or incorporated Los Gatos.. except that $1 million will not go far there. It will go quite a ways in Scotts Valley, and you probably will be quite satisfied, but you should have a clearer picture of what you're actually getting into..

[OrangeSunset]

We were looking for similar things and Scotts Valley was very high on our list. We decided against it for the reasons you've listed, no downtown center and an overall lack of community feel. The lack of public transportation was another big one. Also, I had a feeling I would end up going to Santa Cruz or Los Gatos a lot (for errands and entertainment). The main pull for me was the school district, being close to the beach and living in a laid back town. But Scotts Valley seemed a bit too laid back even for our life style. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

[ebrooks]

SV is an upgraded Bakersfield. SV Drive is much the same as 50 years ago in character, if not quantity. Camp Evers was the start then, and the airport was active. The change since amounts to a lot of strip malls, no airport.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by ebrooks

SV is an upgraded Bakersfield. SV Drive is much the same as 50 years ago in character, if not quantity. Camp Evers was the start then, and the airport was active. The change since amounts to a lot of strip malls, no airport.

I think with charming Los Gatos reasonably close by and Santa Cruz very close (less than ten miles) and even rustic Felton nearby and Boulder Creek in the area, you won't lack for some interesting destinations, but unlike Montclair will have to drive a short distance. It is in a beautiful area, but previous posters are correct that it is primarily mini-malls (but the upscale variety for the most part). You will have your CVS pharmacy, grocery store, Starbucks and a few chain restaurants.

Not to discourage you, but during the rainy season, the Santa Cruz Mountain communities have power outages more frequently than most other Bay Area/Central Coast areas. It is a beautiful area and I believe the Milpitas commute could also be less than an hour (at least to work...not sure of the commute home).

[kmgb77]

Anyone here actually live there and could give more sense of what's it's like to live there? Any real sense of community or is it just a cheaper place to park your stuff while you do your "living" in the other nearby towns. I'm very interested in the area for the beauty and affordability since I would like to move into NoCal, but can't afford a Mil$+ house. I'm raising a family and want to live somewhere that is good to raise a family and has a close community feel and some charm

[ebrooks]

Originally Posted by UrbanCountryGirl

My husband and I are considering moving from Oakland (Montclair district) and can only seem to get excited about living on the Mountain somewhere between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley. With 1M being our house budget, probably closer to Scotts Valley is more likely because we'd also like some land (1 to 3 acres).
He commutes to Milpitas.

What we're used to right now is the quaint Montclair district in Oakland...it's really sweet. We LOVE it. I worry we'll never find that anywhere else but we must move for a variety of reasons, failing public school system the biggest reason.

So, please tell me about your experience with Scotts Valley -- does it have any charm? We visited and seems like a very spread out town and didn't see a "cute town center". Does one exist? Are people friendly? What's the vibe there for stay-at-home moms? Does there seem to be many? Do people generally stick around on the weekends or head out of town? Yelp shows some pretty decent reviews for restaurants, so that's good (plus Los Gatos is relatively close as is Santa Cruz). Also, what about kids activities like gymnastics, dance, sports, movie theater, pony club or 4 H, etc.

Any other info is greatly appreciated! We're looking at a move in the next 12 to 18 months, before our daughter starts kindergarten in 2012.

Not a whole lotta charm. if you wanta search out a little nostalgia you can look for the remnants of the original SV--centered on Camp Evers. I know, where the hell is Camp Evers? If you look close at the NE corner of SV Drive and Mt Hermon Rd you'll see a Camp Evers sign. It was the Greyhound/Trailways stop on the way in/out of SC. If you look a little behind the first shopping center on Mt Herman Rd, East side, you'll see the remaining runway of the airport, long since closed. That leaves SC County without an airport North of Watsonville.

[ebrooks]

Originally Posted by chessgeek

I think with charming Los Gatos reasonably close by and Santa Cruz very close (less than ten miles) and even rustic Felton nearby and Boulder Creek in the area, you won't lack for some interesting destinations, but unlike Montclair will have to drive a short distance. It is in a beautiful area, but previous posters are correct that it is primarily mini-malls (but the upscale variety for the most part). You will have your CVS pharmacy, grocery store, Starbucks and a few chain restaurants.

Not to discourage you, but during the rainy season, the Santa Cruz Mountain communities have power outages more frequently than most other Bay Area/Central Coast areas. It is a beautiful area and I believe the Milpitas commute could also be less than an hour (at least to work...not sure of the commute home).

"Not to discourage you, but during the rainy season, the Santa Cruz Mountain communities have power outages more frequently than most other Bay Area/Central Coast areas."
But heh, with a million dollar house budget you can afford a thousand dollar Honda 2000 watt generator, no problemo.

[ebrooks]

SC County has lost its virginity and its charm. See my three pieces on Ralph Abraham's site "The Hippy Project" under Edward Brooks, for first-hand details. Email me with any questions--jessieabraham@ymail.com.

[ebrooks]

Originally Posted by kmgb77

Anyone here actually live there and could give more sense of what's it's like to live there? Any real sense of community or is it just a cheaper place to park your stuff while you do your "living" in the other nearby towns. I'm very interested in the area for the beauty and affordability since I would like to move into NoCal, but can't afford a Mil$+ house. I'm raising a family and want to live somewhere that is good to raise a family and has a close community feel and some charm

Check out the Central Valley. Lodi, Merced, Sacratomato (the "mid-town district) Rents are MUCH lower. Then there are the foothill areas--Calaveras and Amador Counties.